I’ve been writing for Wiser Time Publishing for one year. That’s 26 published stories total about West Ashley and James Island food businesses. These businesses are either brand new ones to the area, or established ones that are growing, have new management or a new menu, an upcoming charity dinner, or other news.

I submitted another story just this week, I have feelers out with other businesses in the works, and I scour the internet daily for news of new openings and events. Sometimes just driving around and seeing what’s new pays off more. [Savannah Highway and Folly Road rarely disappoint with vintage automobiles, artfully hand-painted VW CamperVans, and otherwise unusual vehicles. And it’s nice to check in with the Coburg Cow and see what she’s wearing this month.]

If you did not already know, this blog has an About Me section (click the link to go there). It includes a slideshow of all the Wiser Time published pieces, the pieces as submitted are listed below that. Prior to Wiser Time, I was contributing to Eat This magazine. Prior to writing about food, I covered independent musicians live performances and recorded albums for Performer Magazine’s Southeastern edition. I have always been a music fan, but I do not play instruments or read music, nor do I sing professionally. I enjoyed learning about indie artists (deserved more attention than they get), but I found I felt limited in my commentary as just a fan. it was an awkward situation where I felt if I am not growing, I must be going. I had been a home-trained baker and cook from a very early age, so food writing was a more natural topic, and ultimately a better fit for me.

In my writing for Wiser Time, and even in creating the Sea Islands Dining Guide, I hope I have motivated residents and visitors to check out new places or discover ones that are new to them.

Traditional food critic pieces often take polarizing views. I write about food, but I am not a critic. I aim to tell readers about the people behind the business, their background in food, where they are from, what they are offering, what local businesses they used to get set up, where their produce is from if it’s local, and why you should try it at least once and make up your own mind.

You the reader know what you like or what sounds intriguing to your tastebuds.

You the reader know what your budget is any given night.

And it’s possible in reading my stories you may discover you and a chef or owner are from the same neighborhood in New Jersey, Maine, or Oklahoma, or Tokyo, for that matter. How cool is that?

I hope readers try the places out. I hope it becomes a new favorite, those readers would go back, and would even suggest it to a friend. With all the technology, media and experts that exist, word of mouth from a friend is still strongest endorsement tool any business has.

I have seen too many eateries come and go. Hanging the shingle is just the beginning, restaurants need fans, and buzz, and regulars. Ideally they would interview with every paper, mag, and blog they could because they all have different audiences and I’m not sure they all realize that. Communities need thriving businesses, employed workers, and a genuine feeling of community among their residents.

It is really awesome to see Downtown Charleston get so much national attention for its restaurant scene. That being said, I do think great places are opening up in the surrounding cities and boroughs** and they deserve some attention as well.

You do not have to go Downtown to get locally-grown food.

You do not have to be Downtown to eat well-crafted dishes from people who bring a lot of heart to what they do, whether that’s a burger, a slice of pizza or a hefty plate of Southern ‘fixins’.

You do not have to go Downtown to get craft beer.

And odds are, the parking is free, and there’s plenty of it.

I will close this post now. I need to go hunt down some future stories and do some baking.

**Mount Pleasant and James Island are towns. North Charleston is a city. West Ashley and Johns Island are part of Charleston.

You don’t have to be a cheerleader, but if you want to be remembered, I think “bring it on”, or “bring it” is the best strategy.

I don’t think I understood this early on when I was an interviewee, or a potential job candidate. Playing it safe seemed wise. Clichés were prudent. But since I didn’t get those jobs, I have to assume those strategies backfired, and people forgot they talked to me. I wore a safe dark-colored suit, listened a lot, and said correct, brief, forgettable things. Yes I wanted a job. Did I want their job? If I’d convincingly seemed that zealous, I would have got the offer, now wouldn’t I?

Fast forward 1.5 years. I’ve interviewed a lot of people for stories about themselves and their businesses. I am not hiring anybody, but I am giving someone full spotlight for 30 minutes and hoping they give me something I can’t stop talking about. That energy comes across in the story, and readers really want to come check that business out and meet the person behind it.

And yet, too often I get is ineffective job interview style experiences. I ask a question, I get a safe, heard it 5-10 times before, safe response. If one more person tells me “everything happens for a reason”, I am hoping I have a airplane barf bag handy. Don’t state the obvious and think it’s being original or profound; you have to know deep down it’s neither of those things. This experience has been karmic, I get to see what I was like on the opposite side of the desk and it was “meh”. But I didn’t write this post for my benefit, but to urge people who got an interview to take the risk to be real.

There’s a physics to interviewing, and energy crosses that desk and continues to exist after the interview is over, definitely for the interviewer, but sometimes also for the interviewee. The be bold, be yourself, be a passionate positive approach means delivering that energy. In short (albeit slang) ” ‘Bring it!”

I’ve had some frustration this week and it’s only Tuesday. After journaling what happened and how dumb the whole situation seemed, I decided to channel that frustration into something positive and helpful: this blogpost.

As a writer and a member of the media, I understand that not every business is large enough or profitable enough to support PR staff full-time, internally or externally.

But I do think it’s wise, or prudent, for businesses of all sizes to have a ‘public relations plan’ in place. Businesses have to let the public know they are open and ready to provide products and services. ‘How can they do that effectively if they are not doing all they can to get the word out about what they have to offer? [I can’t tell you how many businesses I’ve seen fold in my lifetime here in Charleston and I’m in my 30s.] Getting the word out means providing information on a website and social media, accepting interview requests from local media outlets (tv/radio/bloggers/community newsletters), and providing information to local media outlets about charity and special events.

The PR plan I’m proposing should include the following:

A list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about the business. The who, what, where, when, why and how of its existence, preferably in 3-4 paragraphs or less. What is your business’s story? Why was it started? What is its mission? Write it out, type it out. Have someone else read it so there’s no unclear language or typos present. Revise it. When you’re satisfied with it, put it on your business website’s “About” page*, its Facebook page, its printed collateral, and any other description locations your business has, both on or offline.**

What is your preferred method of contact–a phone number? Is that a business phone or a cell phone? Are there preferred hours of contact associated with that number, if so, are they listed with that number? Does this preferred phone number and its hours of contact appear on all business cards, brochures, and any other collateral? Is the number listed first, or starred? You really want to take the guesswork out of any strangers’ attempts to contact you and your business. Every business’s contact preferences are different.

Is your preferred method of contact your website’s contact form? Facebook page? Twitter? An email address? As with a preferred phone number, does this online method of contact and preferred hours appear on all business cards, brochures, and any other collateral? Is it listed first, or starred? You really want to take the guesswork out of strangers’ attempts to contact your business, and every business’s contact preferences are different. If your business’s Facebook page, Twitter account, or website buzzes your cell phone when someone has attempted to contact you, then you’ll want to indicate that strangers not attempt to message you 5pm-9am, or when to contact you, i.e., 9am-5pm.

Who should be “the face” of the business to tell the business’s story to the media and answer other questions? “The face” would appear in photos, in interviews, on the website and in social media. Think of this person as a living, breathing ‘logo’ for your business—they’re accessible and ready to talk about the business just about anywhere, at any time. They’re a natural at conversation, but not a ham or a diva. You’re not worried that they’re going to reflect badly on the company with an off-the-cuff response to an unanticipated question. Anytime there is an interview, you may want to provide a tipsheet to “the face”, or have a meeting with him/her prior to the interview; you’ll want to go over points that must be covered, what to say and what not to say. Over time, the need for briefing “the face” shouldn’t be necessary. You have the utmost confidence in how this person represents the business, whether it’s yourself or someone else. Everyone on staff should know who “the face” is in case they are confronted with a media representative, interview request, etc.

If I have other experiences that relate to this theme, I will add them to this post. For right now, I think I’ve written more than enough.

In closing, I don’t think people aim to rub each other the wrong way. We all want to get along, establish good relationships, go about our lives, and make great things happen.

When we fail to tell strangers how to contact us and during what timeframe, though, mutual annoyance is the inevitable consequence. We’re bound to get annoyed with strangers’ missteps in contacting us, and they’re bound to get annoyed playing trial and error with each contact method and the lost time trying to reach each new person they have to contact.

Experience doesn’t make this process easier, it just reminds us all to be patient and exercise humility in dealing with other people.

*=if your business has no website you will probably want to get one. Buy the domain name of your businesses name, if for no other reason, than to prevent someone else buying it and bashing your business. Web content is eternal, you want to make sure the world audience can read positive, accurate information about your business any time of day. The web has a lot of inaccuracy and snake oil on it, but people do consult it when they need to eat out, find a doctor or handyman. Don’t let a troll cost you business.

**=I can help you write this information. Maybe you find it hard to interview yourself, hate writing, hate spelling, have no time, all of the above, or <<insert your grievance here>>. Whatever the reason, I can help and I’d be delighted to. Email me at kathleenwcurry@gmail.com to get started.

Words might seem too common to be fascinating, but they touch everything.
They are how we grasp, experience, and interpret our world. They are how we share our interpretations with others, and how they share their interpretations with us. They weave connections with others and create common ground.
Words help point out problems. Words indicate admiration or displeasure. Words state a position. Words shape how we see ourselves, and influence how others see us.
So as common as words are, they perform critical functions. So why not blog about words themselves and just how fascinating they are. When you peel back the layers, you find human history, and so much more.
Maybe you stumbled on this blog. Maybe you follow it for the stories that are published several times a week. Either way, thank you for reading.
Contact me for the copywriting or other content creation you require.

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